When Cavs coach Tyronn Lue announced his NBA Finals Game 3 lineup against the Warriors, he explained one reason he chose Jefferson, the ex-Net, to start for Kevin Love (concussion) was his “physicality.” Jefferson has been called many things in his 15 NBA seasons. Physical rarely topped the list.

“Hey, with those Nets teams I was on, we couldn’t score. Could not score,” Jefferson said. “When you cannot score, play defense. And we really defended.

“So [Lue] is like, ‘Richard, I need you to play defense and run around,’” Jefferson said Thursday. “I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, I can do that.’”

So the one-time Warrior — he helped indoctrinate Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, among others, as rookies — went out and impacted the game in veteran fashion. He was part of the defensive effort by the Cavs who defied all Warriors not named Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson to beat them.

Jefferson, 35, defended, scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds as a starter instead of Love. Will he be back starting in Game 4 on Friday when the Cavs, who romped, 120-90 in Game 3, try to even the series at 2-2?

“I don’t have much of a choice. Whatever the situation dictates, I’m going to be ready to go,” said Jefferson, who went to two NBA Finals with the Nets in 2002 and 2003 — this makes him only the third player ever, with Sam Cassell and Elden Campbell — to play in Finals 13 years apart. “I think Kevin will be back in the series without a doubt, if you ask me. But whatever they need from me, that’s always been my motto.”

And for Jefferson, the return to the Finals has been worth tying the longest-ever wait to in NBA history to do so.

“It’s a great experience to be here,” Jefferson said. “I don’t know how many more games or how many more years I have left so it’s something that I’m really enjoying. I’m trying to get three more wins so I can retire and call it a day.”

But while he fights for those three wins which would bring Cleveland its first pro championship since 1964, Jefferson has the respect and admiration of teammates and opponents.

“Him being a smart player has enabled him to play for a really long time and also play effectively and play sound. He doesn’t turn the ball over, he makes free throws, knocks down open shots. Defensively, he’s going to communicate,” Golden State’s Andre Iguodala said.

Teammate LeBron James may have said it best.

“He’s a true professional,” James said, “a guy who is seizing an opportunity and moment to be in this position.”